Federico Chiesa's concerning injury history and full extent of Liverpool's transfer gamble

If Federico Chiesa is available on the cheap, his salary demands are not astronomical, and Liverpool can keep him fit for longer than Juventus has managed, the Italian winger could be a masterstroke of a signing .

There is no guarantee that the 26-year-old will move to Anfield before Friday's deadline but Fabrizio Romano broke news of there being interest. And at least of the factors above are within Liverpool's control: the transfer fee would be around $17m (£13m/€13m) and talks with the player would determine the size of his pay package. That just leaves the worries about injuries.

It cannot be argued any other way than it would be a gamble on keeping a player fit who has historically not managed that. The Premier League is more intense than Serie A too, which is unlikely to help.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news as Federico Chiesa price set and Joe Gomez front-runner emerges
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Federico Chiesa talks, Anthony Gordon reality, Joe Gomez exit

But just how bad have Chiesa's injuries been and how much of a risk would Liverpool be taking? That is what the Reds would have to weigh up before deciding on whether to do a deal.

According to Transfermarkt , as well as an ACL injury that saw him miss 45 matches at club level, Chiesa has also had various problems with his knees and several muscles. He has had to sit out of 91 Juventus games since signing for the Turin side in 2020, picking up five separate injuries last season and seven the year before.

With 131 appearances for the Old Lady, Chiesa has not played in that many more games than he has missed in the period since he moved to Juventus . More than that, the range of injury issues would be a major concern: it has not been a one-off that he is now definitely over.

For a low enough fee and wage, though, perhaps Liverpool could use him sporadically. Perhaps with five other senior forwards to play before him, Arne Slot could manage Chiesa's minutes and maybe even deploy him almost exclusively as a substitute.

If it paid off and he could stay fit, Liverpool would be getting a bargain. It could just as easily go the other way, however, with the significant risk attached to such a signing clear.